Refrigerating system and method of operating the same



L, G, COPEMAN REFRIGERATING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF' OPERATING THE SAME 'Filed sept. 18, 1926 2 sheets-sheet 1 v INVENTOR. L/oyc' 6.' Cope/nan.

BY *A y Nov. 27, 1928.

L. G. COFEMAN REFRIGERATING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME Filed Sept. 18, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ,qj/a? opemm'? BY l //QLZ ATTORNEY.

Patented 2?, T928.

einer orales.

LLOYD G. COPEMAN, F FLINT, MICHIGAN.

EEFRGERATNG SYSTEM'QAND METHOD'OF OPERATING THE SAME.

Application filed September 18, 1 926. Serial No 136,245.

This invention relates to a refrigerating system and method of operating the same and has to do particularly with the provision of a are embedded in cast stone, such cast stone forming the Walls of the cooling unit and serving not only as a conductor but also as an efficient hold-over whereby to replace the brine tanks as are now in common use in refrigerator low sides. ln addition to ernbedding the refrigerating coils in,sucli stone cooling unit, the present invention embodies the embedding of alternately spaced brine circulating coils, such brineserving not only as a good hold-over, and especially in case of stoppage, but also serving as a refrigerating medium for a separate refrigerating unit.' This separate refrigerating unit is an iinportant ,part of the present invention and is preferablyof a type Which only requires infrequent use of a refrigerating medium.

further feature of the present invention has to do with the connecting of the altern ately spaced brine circulating pipes of the stone cooling unit vvith the cooling unit of such separate refrigerating system, or means, whereby Whenever desired the brine from the refrigerator cooler unit Will be circulated by thermo-Siphon action between the two units. The result of this is that one refrigerating apparatus and one motor need only be required, and such motor will be controlled by a single thermostat Within the refrigerating chamber of tche refrigerator, whereby when the brine Within the pipes is used such thermostat will obviously cause actuation of the refrigerating apparatus to take care of the auxiliary heat absorption by such brine. ln the drawings l is a perspective view, partly cut away, showing a refrigerator provided with auxiliary brine circulating coils, and an ice cream freezer connected up with such brine circulating coils as to cause circulation of the brine through the same by thermo-Siphon action.

vlFig, 2 is a diagrammatic detail View illustrat-ing the preferred arrangement of alternately positioned expansion coils which are embedded in the cast cooling unit.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View showing the manner of cast embedding the -coils in the stone Wall of the cooling unit, the

illustration havin@ particular reference to the cooling unit of the freezer.

This application is a continuation, in part, of my pending application Serial No. 86,719, filed Feb. 8, 1926. v

The particular structure illustrated in the drawings embodying my invention, coinprises a refrigerator cabinet l which may be of any suitable standard structure and provided With a suitable refrigerating apparatus (not shown) which may be either located in the refrigerator cabinet itself, or below the cabinet according to the standard practice.

The refrigerator cabinet is provided With a cooling u'nit, or low side 2 Which is preferably formed of cast stone and is a cooling unit similar in construction to the one illustrated and described in my copending application No. 118.429, tiled june 25,1926. This cooling unit is preferably formed of cast stone with suitable sharp freezing chambers and with the refrigerating coils suitably embedded therein. The inlet for connecting the cooling unit to the condenser of the refrigerating apparatus may designated 3, and the outlet for connecting the coils of the cooling unit to the compressor may be designated 4, although it Will be understood that such inlet and outlet may be located at any desired place in accordance with the particular construction.

Fig. 2 illustrates the pr ed 'arrangement of the refrigerat-ing coils vvhich are cast embedded in the unit 2, such refrigerating coils being shown in dotted lines and designated 5. Suitable coils 6, similar to l e coils 5 are also embedded inthe Walls of ais cast cooling unit 2, and are alternately spaced between the adjacent 'coils 5. The coils 6 are adapted to contain brine, or other suit-able non-freezing solution, and are preferably adapted to extend out of the cooling unit, as shown in Fig. l. The inlet for the brine coils 6 may be designatedv 7 and the outlet 2, and

asshown in Fig. l, such inlet ane outlet project through the Wall of the ref cabinet, although it Will 'ce understoode that in normal practice that such inlet outletnovided with a suitable thermostat which may be designated 9 and which is adapted to be connected to the refrigerating apparatus to automatically control the same in order to maintain the cooling chamber of the refrigerator at anappreximate constant temperature. yIn

other words, when thetemperature of 'thev cooling -chamber rises above a certain degree,

the thermostat will be effective to cause actuyused asa permanent -unit in a home, and as well known, such automatic refrigerators-are rapidly replacing the old fashioned iceboXes of the past. These new, refrigerating units are. adapted for the manufacturing of artificial ice, but not to any large extent as will be necessary in the freezing of ice cream' and the cooling of other units requiring a relative.

ly large amount of ice; I have, therefore, provided the brine circulating coils -in the cooling unit and so connected the samewith and the refrigerating apparatus,

' as at 14.

frigerating cabinet 1 place,

an ice cream freezer or other similar article whereby use is made of the refrigerating unit whereby to afford an ecient cooling unit whenever required.

This freezing unit, or ice cream freezer,

may be generally designated 10. This freezing unit is preferably formed either wholly, orepartially, of cast stone, and in the drawing this cast stone container may be desig' nated 11. Whether formed wholly or partially of cast stone, such cast stone forms the coolving unit of the freezing apparatus and the brine circulating coils 6, which extend from the cooling unit 2, are preferably embedded in this stone container, as shown in dotted'lines Fig. 3 illustrates the preferred manner of embedding such brine circulating coils in the cast stone walls of the ice cream freezer. The outlet of such coils'is the inlet' is referably at the base of the unit,

'fJhe inlet and outlet 7 and 8 may' be provided with suitable which Ilia of the re igerator cabinet, within the reitself, or any desired and when such -valves are open, it will be obvious, due to the positioning of the inlet and outlet 13 and 14, and to the 'fact that therefrigerator is preferably higher than 'the freezing unit, that a thermo-siphoning of the brine willtake place, the cool brine from the valves, as shown,

icooling unit 2 replacing the brine in the ice creamv freezer and forcing the same back -up into the to turn cool v'The obvious place for the ice cream freezer, lorother unit, will be in the cellar beneath t-he preferably at 13, and

be positioned adjacent the wall part of the cooling unit to bein refrigerator, but it will be understoodthat Such ice cream freezer, or other unit, may be located at any convenient pla-ce7 as desi-red,-

lin 4the brine circulating line to insure positive eiiicient circulation, andpossibly obtain a lower normal temperature within vthe freezing unit than when the thermo-Siphon action is relied upon. lThe cast stone cooling unit for `the ice cream freezer may be formed as acontainer to receive the ice cream can, and a suitable motor-may be' mounted upon the freezer to make the device completely automatic.

In operation, the refrigerator being a per manent part ofthe household, the brine circulating valves may be opened whenever the ice cream freezer is in condition for operation, and the cooled brinel within the coils em- -bedded in the cooling unit 2 will, bythe thermo-siphon'action set up, displace the4 higher;

temperature brine within the walls of the freezer unit. As thefreez'er is operated and the brine absorbs the heat therefrom, it .will be obvious that the cooling unit 2 will have to absorb more heat from the brine',- and that the thermostat will almost immediately op. erate to start positive operation of the refrigerating apparatus and the motor.. -As the heat". absorption 'and heat-transferfwill be vmaintained practically constantly during the freezing operation, it will thermostat will be effective to automatically continue the oiperation of the freezing apparatusuntil the eezing has been accomplished.

It will therefore be seen that I have rovided a novel apparatus whereby the re rigerating apparatus contained in a commercial electrical refrigerator can be utilized to perform or suppl the heat absorbing medium for effecting t 1e freezing ofl ice cream, and

the operation of othersimilar articles ordi narily requiring a large amount office. It will also be seen that I have made it possible to utilize a'single motor and to effectively and .accurately control the operation of such motor whereby to automatically take care of the auxiliary unitwhenever operated.

obvious'that the" Having thus-described my invention, what Iclaim is:

1. ,A domestic refrigerating system comprising a refrigerating unit provided with'a vmal operation, a separate refrigerating unit 'adapted for infrequent operation, both of comprising pipes formed in a closed path and passing through the wall of said'domestic refrigerating unit for Vconnecting said cooling units and positionedfi, heat absorbing relaa tiony with the coolilljll'fsaid first refrig- '120 refrigerating apparatus for Icontinuous norera-ting unit, and means for stopping the flow of refrigerant between said two units.

2. A. refrigerating system comprising a plurality of separate ret'rigerating units, one

domestic.refrigerator provided with nieirigerator having a cooling unit of the automatic expansion type, a completely separate refrigerating unit comprising an ice cream freezer, or similar article, -and refrigerant coils positioned in heat conductingrelation with said separate freezing unit,and in hea-t. conducting' relation with the coolinfnv unit ot` the refrigerator whereby to eitect cooling,l ot` said separate refrigerating unit by thermo- Siphon action.

It. A refrigerating system comprisingl two separate refrigeratingr units one a mechani-V cally operated domestic refrigerator and the other an ice cream freezer, each provided with a coolingr unit, non-freezing solution circulating pipes tor connecting .the cooling units of the two said retrigerating units,

nieans for effecting circulation of the nont'reezing solution by thermo-Siphon action, and valves-for shutting oft' the circulation ot said non-freezing solution'.-

5. In a refrigerating system, the combination of'a refrigerator provided with a cast cooling unit, an expansion coil' embedded therein, an ice cream freezer. or similar ai'- ticle, provided with a cast container, and noni'reezing' solution circulating pipesl positioned in heat conducting relation wth said cast cooling` unit and the walls of said cast container unit whereby such non-freezing solution will loev cooled bythe cast coolingr unit and circulated throughout the pipes by therinosiphon action. y

G. In a refrigerating system, the Conibination of a refrigerator 'provided with a moulded stone cooling unit, expansion coils and non-freezing solution coils positioned in heat coiiductiincr relation with such unit, and a-ii ice cream freezer or similar refrigeratingy unit provided with inoul ded stone cooling walls, the said'iion-freezing solution pipes being' also positioned in heat conducting relation with said moulded stone walls whereby said non-freezing' solution pipes will absorb heat from said freezer, and the refrigerant circulating pipes will absorb the heat from said non-freezing solution pipes.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my sig attire.

LLOYD COPEM MN. 

